And a Happy New Year
by OverlyDramatic
Summary: It's New Year's Eve and Casey finds herself at a party. If only Derek didn't have to ruin everything.


Okay, I thought I'd do another little holiday fic. It's pretty short, and may not make sense, but . . .lol. Enjoy.

**Disclaimer: I own this show just as much as I own the holiday. That being none.**

Casey stepped lightly into the room, unwinding her new pink scarf and slipping off the matching gloves before sliding them into her coat pocket and taking in the room. It was not so loud as she would have expected, but there was no mistaking that it was a party. She took a deep breath before squaring her shoulders and walking confidently into the room. After all, she had no reason to stand against the wall all day; she was a single teenage girl in a new skirt and sweater looking for some fun—just not too much. Despite what many would think, she was here of her own accord. No one had browbeaten her; no one forced her into attending. Her projects were finished, she had already cleaned the house, and she finished a Western Classic earlier that evening; she could afford a little frivolity on the dawn of a new year.

Making her way past the dancers, she lingered by the couch, briefly considering passing the evening on the outskirts before strengthening her resolve. There was no reason she couldn't do something social, was there? She needed to step out of her comfort zone, take control of her life. A party was the perfect opportunity, she had told herself earlier that evening, when she was still unsure if she would actually attend. Besides, there were bound to be people she knew; the girl throwing the New Year's Bash, Jenna, may have been on the student council, but she wasn't exactly known as an uptight kind of girl.

On cue, Jenna fell from the mesh of dancers, giggling and leaning against the back of the couch to catch her breath. "Casey," she greeted happily, noting the girl standing awkwardly beside her. "Glad you could make it."

"Yeah," Casey replied noncommittally, wondering if perhaps this was the best idea. Parties weren't really her thing.

"Help yourself to anything," the other girl offered, standing to find a new dance partner. She darted back into the throng, leaning back long enough to say, "But watch out for the punch," before she was whisked away. She was a nice girl, and sitting next to Casey everyday in Chemistry gave her the correct assumption that Casey wasn't the party type of girl. Mumbling a thanks, Casey realized it was useless and turned, wondering where she might go to avoid any awkward or illegal situations. She was spared the task when an arm snaked around her shoulders, swinging her around even as its owner spoke.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" came the mocking tones of her stepbrother. "Casey MacDonald, out at a party of her own free will?"

Shoving the arm off her, she turned to face him. "Just because I don't blatantly break every rule I'm given doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun," she snapped.

"Uh, yeah it does," he replied with a grin, giving her an amused look.

"I can have loads of fun," she argued, crossing her arms across her chest and giving him a pointed stare.

"Have you talked to anyone yet?" he countered, cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes," she defended petulantly.

"Besides Jenna?" he corrected, and she inwardly cursed him. He had probably seen the girls talking before he came over.

"Just because I haven't yet, doesn't mean I can't," she pointed out, and glared when he laughed.

"Come on, Case. We both know you won't. Besides," he added suggestively, "you don't come to parties to talk." She gave him an affronted look, and he continued, pleased at the annoyance on her face. "What, are you going to sit around being boring all night? What are you going to do when midnight rolls around?"

"I'll have you know I am perfectly capable of finding someone to kiss at midnight, Derek," she said, frustration evident in her tone.

"Please," he laughed, sweeping one arm as if to proffer the room. "Be my guest." She gave him a superior gaze, turned up her nose, and walked in the direction indicated. Only after she had disappeared from his sight did she realize what she had done. _Nice going_, she berated herself. _Now I really will have to kiss someone, or Derek will find out and I'll never hear the end of it_. With a reluctant sigh, Casey scanned the room. Emily could probably help her, she realized; unfortunately Emily was currently chatting up a muscular brunette, and the likelihood of pulling her away was slim. Casey recognized far fewer people than expected; there was Madison, from English, and Tia, from Phys Ed, and that boy who tried to cheat off her in History, Dwayne. No one looked worth talking to, and she couldn't very well start up a conversation with some ice-brained idiot she'd never met just to prove something to Derek.

She pursed her lips in annoyance, but the expression dropped in surprise as a figure stepped in front of her and announced, "It might stay that way, you know."

"Unlikely," she replied, gaze drifting up a well-fit polo to an attractive male face, which twisted in a laugh.

"I'm Dylan," he introduced.

"Casey," she responded with a smile. Maybe this wouldn't be too hard after all. As long as she concentrated on one guy, she could beat Derek _and_ have an interesting time.

"So, what are you doing all alone?" he wondered, moving to stand beside her.

"I haven't found anyone worth talking to yet," she replied, giving him a small grin.

"Really?" he asked, settling down comfortably as the conversation picked up.

Casey glanced briefly across the room. Derek's dislike of PDA obviously didn't carry to such events where the entire room shared in the activity; a gaggle of girls had taken to following him hopefully, and Casey noted disgustedly that he was doing nothing to discourage them.

"Well, maybe I could help you out," Dylan countered flirtatiously, bringing Casey's mind back to the guy beside her.

"I think you might be able to," Casey told him, laughing slightly at her own coyness. She never thought she would be one to banter with cute strangers at parties.

Despite her decision to stay focused, Casey found herself enjoying the easy conversation with Dylan. Not only was he fairly attractive, he was mildly interesting as well. He didn't talk about sports all night, he didn't focus on himself, and he most definitely did not get under her skin the way another unfortunately attractive male did. And he was happy just to talk. As the night wore on, Casey began almost looking forward to the stroke of midnight. She smiled as the room quieted to watch the TV announcer introduce the event, counting along with the rest of the room until the bell rang.

The countdown ended, the hollow resonance of the fading toll punctuated by the false cheerfulness of paper noisemakers. She turned with a mildly nervous half-smile to the cute guy she had been chatting up all night. With a festive grin, he bent his head, and she bit her lip in anticipation. Then, over his shoulder, she caught sight of Derek lightly kissing a giggling girl, two more eagerly waiting their turn. The buildup of the moment shattered; she barely paid attention to the light peck that grazed her lips. Forcing a smile as Dylan pulled away, she gazed past the boy's shoulder and sighed, wondering all the while why she wished it were her her stepbrother was kissing.

**Lalalalalalalalalalalala**

I don't know if this was actually in character or not, but here it is. I must say I've been rather into the whole holiday one-shot of late, so I thought I'd get a jump start on the new celebration. Hope it turned out okay; I'd love to hear thoughts, if you so desire.


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